SPECIAL NOTICE
R -- Financial Consulting Services
- Notice Date
- 7/30/2013
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541211
— Offices of Certified Public Accountants
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Public Debt (BPD), Division of Procurement, Avery 5F, 200 Third Street, Parkersburg, West Virginia, 26106-5312, United States
- ZIP Code
- 26106-5312
- Solicitation Number
- SS-FMS-13-0084
- Point of Contact
- M Forbes, , B. Jenkins,
- E-Mail Address
-
psb3@bpd.treas.gov, psb3@bpd.treas.gov
(psb3@bpd.treas.gov, psb3@bpd.treas.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The Bureau of Fiscal Service (FS) intends to issue an order to Price Waterhouse Cooper LLP (PwC) on a sole source basis, under authority of FAR 8.405-6 (b)(1), for contractor consulting services to document the process flows and associated narratives about General Fund Activities. The process flows to be documented are the activities related to the following authority-related areas: 1) Warrants 2) Disbursements and Collections 3) Public Debt held by the public and held within the Federal government and 4) FPA Borrowing (loans to FPA's). The documentation should address activity subtypes, all related Business Event Type Code (BETC's) and any special activities for particular Treasury Account Symbols (TAS). In September 2012, Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC) was awarded contract #TFMS-HQ-12-K-0101 against their GSA Schedule #GS-10F-0466N for a period of performance from 09/19/2012 through 01/31/2013, with two extensions granted from 1/31/2013 through 4/15/2013 and 4/15/2013 through 5/15/2013 to perform a pre-audit review of the General Fund accounting and reporting. PwC reviewed all available documentation - systems, procedure manuals, memoranda, and standard operating procedures - and gained a solid understanding of General Fund authority-tracking activities. They interviewed General Fund team members regarding their roles, responsibilities, and functions and obtained an understanding of the authority-tracking activities such as warrants issued and liability for Fund Balance with Treasury that are reported in the Schedule of General Fund Authority. They analyzed the accounting methodology (posting logic) and the U.S. Standard General Ledger (USSGL) accounts that are used to post transactions into the Oracle Federal Financials General Ledger system instance created for the General Fund. They tested transactions to ensure that they post correctly to the USSGL accounts according to the posting logic used to develop the mapping rules for the GL. They performed walk-throughs of the accounting cycles that are material to the Schedule of General Fund Activity. They reviewed the draft Schedule of General Fund Authority and associated notes for adequacy and appropriate reporting of accounts and disclosures. In May of 2013, FMS presented the results of PwC's analysis and recommendations to GAO. FMS and GAO agreed that additional analysis and documentation was needed related to the General Fund process flows. The steps that PwC performed supported development of their understanding of the General Fund data that was being reported and provided them with an understanding of the authority-tracking activity and the USSGL posting logic. In contract deliverables they documented their understanding, the results of their test of transactions, and the results of reconciliations of General Fund account balances to source data. They provided recommendations on the Schedule of General Fund Authority and associated notes regarding adequacy and appropriate reporting of accounts and disclosures. Treasury wants to demonstrate progress towards removing these two impediments in the FY 2013 Financial Report (FR) reporting cycle. To do so require that the contractor who documents the information process flows related to authority-tracking activities already have a firm foundation of understanding about the activities, the defined general ledger posting logic related to the activities, and their reporting in the Schedule of General Fund Activity. PwC gained such knowledge during their performance of the General Fund pre-audit review contract. PwC's continued involvement allows the Government to avoid the costs and delays of a contractor transition, which would likely be substantial considering the complexity in understanding the General Fund authority-tracking activity, the USSGL posting logic to record that activity, the systems involved and procedures followed to account for that activity, and reporting the authority-tracking activity in the Schedule of General Fund Activity. We estimate at least a 50-100% increase in costs, and the certain probability that the information gained in documenting the process flows of the authority-tracking activities would not be available to be considered in accounting for General Fund activity in reporting for FY 2013. Based on the above findings, it is in the Government's best interest to proceed with a logical four-month follow-on award to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the most cost effective and efficient method of fulfilling this requirement. The rendering of an opinion by GAO on the FR is one of Treasury's highest priorities. The work of documenting the process flows of General Fund authority-tracking activities positions Fiscal Service to move significantly closer to addressing GAO's identified impediments to rendering an opinion on the FR that involve the General Fund. Therefore, to transition to another vendor at this time is not feasible. The FY2013 FR information must be compiled and consolidated in the period of November 15, 2013 to December 15, 2013 for the GAO. For this four (4) month award, no solicitation package will be issued. This notice of intent to sole source is not a request for competitive quotations; however, the Government will consider responses received no later than 12:00 PM ET on Tuesday, August 13, 2013. Responses shall be submitted to PSB3@bpd.treas.gov; Attention: MF/BJ. Responses shall include, at a minimum, the following information: 1. The name of your company; 2. Company DUNS No.; 3. POC name and contact information; 4. The specific service(s) that your company offers that fulfills the same function as the services to be included on this order or evidence that your company is capable of providing a renewal for the specific services mentioned above; and, 5. A description of the service(s) and your company's overall capabilities. It is your responsibility to demonstrate how your company can provide the services stated above. The Government will not seek additional information from your company if you fail to provide sufficient evidence of having services cable of meeting the Government's needs. A determination by the Government not to compete the proposed acquisition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government's Contracting Officer. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/TREAS/BPD/DP/SS-FMS-13-0084/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: 401 14th Street, SW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20227, United States
- Zip Code: 20227
- Zip Code: 20227
- Record
- SN03131728-W 20130801/130730235922-47f90cb8dbd563267943d399e1bbb8c3 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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